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Harlan, Iowa

8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1980. It stands in Harlan City. It lies in ZIP code area 51537. It stands on West Fork West Nishnabotna River. The Survey maps it on the Harlan quadrangle. 4,893 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,253 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Harlan within Shelby County

On record in Harlan

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 4 records

Population over time

2 figures

Harlan fell from 5,106 to 4,893 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20105,106
20204,893-213 (-4%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

5 surveys from 8 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

4 since 2013

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 4 fires within 5 miles of Harlan between 2013 and 2015, burning about 139 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Equipment and vehicle use2
Debris and open burning1
Arson/incendiarism1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
22 March 2015Debris and open burning15 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
22 March 2015Arson/incendiarism2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
18 February 2013Equipment and vehicle use2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
19 October 2015Equipment and vehicle use120 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Shelby County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Harlan: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Harlan Pit & PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Shelby County

Storms near this place

60 of 75 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Harlan in 75 storm reports between 1996 and 2024: 43 thunderstorm wind, 26 hail, 3 flash flood, 2 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 1998Thunderstorm WindHarlan$70,000Two walls at the landfill destroyed.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindHarlan$60,000Storage building destroyed.
June 2014Flash FloodHarlan$50,000Local law enforcement reported that many county roads had water flowing across them in low spots. There was also street flooding reported in the city of Harlan.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindHarlan$20,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 55 to 60 mph downed a large tree which crushed the roof of a house in the Harlan area. Time was estimated by radar.
May 2024Funnel CloudHarlan-The office received a public report of a funnel clouds 3 miles southwest of Harlan, near 900th Street and Juniper Road.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A photo was relayed to the office of a tree that was blown ontop of a house. At the same time, a personal weather station in town recorded a gust of 60 miles per hour. It was likely that the wind gust the blew the tree down on the house was stronger than this.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A 64 miles per hour wind gust was measured on a personal weather station.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A 65 miles per hour wind gust was measured by a personal weather station.
May 2024HailHarlan-The office received a report from the public of quarter sized hail on the northeast side of Harlan, Iowa.
May 2024HailHarlan-The office received a report from the 911 Call Center of 2 inch hail that had fallen 3 miles north of Harlan, Iowa.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A 72 miles per hour wind gust was measured on a personal weather station 2 miles east of Harlan.
June 2024HailHarlan-The office received a report of quarter to golf ball sized hail from the public.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindHarlan-The office received a public report of a 62 miles per hour wind gust. This wind gust was accompanied by quarter to golf ball sized hail (this has been put as a separate event given the different event type).
July 2023Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Public reported a semi blown over and part of roof blown off a building.
May 2022HailHarlan-Trained spotter reported 1 inch hail.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Trained spotter reported a measured wind gust of 61 mph and several 2-4 diameter tree limbs down.
December 2021Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Harlan AWOS measured a peak wind gust of 72 mph.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Law enforcement reported trees down.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Trained spotter estimated wind speeds at 71 MPH.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Officials estimated winds were 70 mph or higher.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A storm spotter estimated a 60 mph wind gust in Harlan.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A 52 Knot wind gust was measured at the Harlan Airport AWOS.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindHarlan-The emergency manager reported that a tree fell on a car along Highway 59 just to the north of Harlan. There were no injuries reported in the vehicle.
June 2014HailHarlan-Numerous reports of large hail were received in and just to the south of the city of Harlan. The hail ranged from around quarter size to 3 inches in diameter. The hail was responsible for damage to windows, cars and roofs in and around town.
June 2014Flash FloodHarlan-Street flooding was widespread in the city of Harlan. Water was also reported across many county roads outside of town as well.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindHarlan-The bowing thunderstorm segment that began in Omaha raced through the Harlan area bringing a measured wind gust of 75 mph at the Harlan Awos. Tree and building damage was noted in town.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured at 58 mph by the Awos in Harlan at 835 pm CDT, while a spotter estimated a wind gust about that same magnitude in the area at 828 pm.
September 2011Thunderstorm WindHarlan-The Awos near Harlan measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 83 mph.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Thunderstorm winds were measured at 65 mph a few miles northwest of Harlan. The winds flattened grain bins in the area and a couple of outbuildings were destroyed. A thousand gallon propane tank was moved around 10 feet by the winds.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A thunderstorm wind gust of 61 mph was measured by the Awos at the Harlan airport. The winds downed several large tree limbs in the area.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A spotter estimated thunderstorm wind gusts around 60 mph in the Harlan area.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph downed a few trees and power lines from west of Harlan into town.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph damaged a farm outbuilding near Harlan.
May 2008Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph blew a large tree onto a home.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured at 60 mph by weather equipment at a Coop observers house 1 mile north of Harlan and at 68 mph by the Awos at the Harlan airport. The strong winds downed some large tree limbs in town.
June 2007HailHarlan-The hail was accompanied by 2.2 inches of rain that fell in less than 1 hour.
September 2007Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Thunderstorm winds estimated at around 60 mph knocked a few large tree limbs onto power lines causing some brief power outages in town.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Thunderstorm winds estimated at around 60 mph downed a few small trees and some 3 to 4 inch in diameter tree limbs across town.
September 2006Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Emergency management estimated thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 mph.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A thunderstorm wind gust of 62 mph was recorded by the Harlan AWOS.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Thunderstorm wind gusts of 70 mph were measured by the AWOS in Harlan. This was from a storm that apparently merged with the storm that developed just to the southwest and produced the tornado that tracked across the Walnut area.
May 2004Tornado (F0)Harlan-A tornado tracked south of Harlan near F-58 and Juniper Road according to emergency management. The tornado was also seen from near the Walnut area in extreme northern Pottawattamie county. The tornado apparently remained in open country and caused little or no damage.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Thunderstorm wind gusts over over 60 mph downed trees and power lines from Harlan to Elk Horn.
April 2002Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A thunderstorm wind gust of 63 mph was recorded by the Harlan AWOS.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Thunderstorm wind gusts downed large tree limbs and power lines in Harlan.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Cooperative observer measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 71 mph.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Wind equipment measured a 88 mph wind gust which blew a tree onto a road.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindHarlan-One inch hail and thunderstorm winds over 60 mph did some damage in the Harlan area.
June 2000HailHarlan-Reported by a cooperative observer.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Thunderstorm wind gust estimated at 60 mph by a trained storm spotter.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Large tree limbs downed.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Roof blown off a building.
July 2019HailHarlan-no account filed
July 2016Thunderstorm WindHarlan-no account filed
April 2014HailHarlan-no account filed
June 2014Thunderstorm WindHarlan-no account filed
June 2013HailHarlan-no account filed
May 2011HailHarlan-no account filed
August 2011HailHarlan-no account filed
April 2010HailHarlan-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Shelby County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Corley5.1 miles8
Westphalia5.9 miles8
Kirkman6.1 miles8
Tennant7.4 miles8
Panama9.3 miles8
Jacksonville9.3 miles8
Earling9.8 miles8
Portsmouth10.2 miles8

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on HarlanAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1901253The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 457259. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.